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He said: “We only need a few days of heavy rain and then we’ve got ourselves a bit of major flooding.

“Gloucester is just as much in danger as the Somerset Levels.”

As well as flooding in the area, which could affect people’s homes and businesses, he said there was a risk that boats could get stuck in the silt.

Ron Jones and Mark Williams are worried about silt in the river off Sandhurst Lane (Image: Mikal Ludlow Photography)

He said he had raised his concerns with the Environment Agency, the Canal & River Trust and Tewkesbury Borough Council, which covers Sandhurst, but he was not convinced that the necessary action would be taken.

He said: “The trust dredged the river here, taking about 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes of silt away, about 18 months ago.

The Environment Agency said, in a statement: “We are aware of a build-up of silt in the River Severn near Sandhurst. We do not believe it is significantly impacting the flood risk of the river and therefore do not believe it needs to be removed for this purpose.

“Dredging is undertaken by the Canal & and River Trust (CaRT) at Gloucester Docks on a regular basis for navigation purposes. We are currently in discussion with CaRT about dredging at the site near Sandhurst in the near future. Should CaRT decide to remove the silt for navigational purposes, the Environment Agency has a regulatory duty to ensure that they fulfil their legal and environmental obligations whilst any dredging is being undertaken.”